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Introduction
Homework
should be closely related to work covered in the lesson. Ideally
the task should be set in good time (about 10 minutes before the
end of lesson). Ensure that the task has been written on the board,
noted by the pupils and clearly explained. If possible, set up
the task in the lesson with one or two examples and ask the pupils
to complete/adapt for homework. Make sure good correct language
has been throughly modelled in class.
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| 8-12-15+ |
Instruct
pupils to see how many items they can learn from a given list of,
say, 20. All learning homework should be followed up by testing of
some type. This does not need to be a formal whole-class megatest.
Maybe spot-check five or six pupils |
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| Cereal Packet |
Pupils
put words on card and stick them to a cereal packet to read at the
breakfast table every morning. After all, this is how many children
read out of school. Thanks to Tony Elston for this idea. |
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| Mini-books |
A
good summing-up exercise after a 3-4 weeks' work. Pupils make origami
mini-books and fill with useful relevant information, depending on
the unit of work. See showcase (ks3german). |
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Alternatives
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Pupils love
quirky, slightly anarchic pieces of work e.g. alternative school-uniform,
alternative school rules. As with all tasks, set this up in class
with plenty of work on necessary language. You set the agenda -
don't allow it to degenerate into a free-for-all where pupils keep
asking increasingly obscure and vulgar vocabulary. Make sure there
is a valid learning outcome, e.g. to reinforce key verbs or structures:
man darf in der Stunde essen. Il faut jeter ses ordures partout
dans la salle de classe.
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| Ideal school/
town/ home/ room/holiday etc |
A
good way of reinforcing work done in class. To be a successful learning
activity, the task must be set up carefully. Stress that you want
to see 10-15 words correctly spelled. Inform them that they will be
marked on content as well as presentation. The artwork is not the
most important aspect. Presenting work as a group display can also
be a good way of getting pupils to work together constructively.
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| Posters, mini-projects,
adverts, info-leaflets |
These
have a valid role, especially towards the end of term. 2 or 3 homeworks.
Ideally, this type of homework should also be linked to some learning
& testing. |
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| Game-boards |
Pupils
make up games to reinforce vocabulary and phrases. Snakes & Ladders
is the simplest format, but some pupils enjoy making up more elaborate
games. |
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| Visual dictionary:
Icon & keyword prompt sheets |
The
cribsheet/ aide-mémoire. Works wonders for boosting oral work.
Can be used for any topic area. Draw 2 columns. Column one contains
an icon or key word. Column 2 contains the full sentence to be learnt
by heart. Once pupils have learnt the sentence they can fold over
the full written version and refer only to the icon as an aide-mémoire.
Try it for describing daily routine. (Clock time+bed arrow out) =
Je me lève à 7 heures |
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